Amelia’s Magazine | MAC Semi-Precious Collection: New Mineral Make Up Range from the Mata Atlantica Coast of Brazil

MAC Semi Precious range by AntoniaParker
MAC Semi-Precious range by Antonia Parker. Her lady wears Hint of Sapphire on eyes, case Geo Pink on lips, sildenafil Warmth of Coral blush. The background is inspired by Blue Sheen eyeshadow.

Now, I don’t generally get that excited about the launch of a new make up range, but I was most intrigued when I learnt (on the grapevine) about the new MAC Semi-Precious Collection. Why, you may well ask? Well, this large new beauty range boasts plenty of semi precious mineral ingredients and the final products are intriguing – a swirly shimmer of glistening particles that reflect the source of their creation. Time to find out a bit more….

MAC semi precious range collection review 2011

Over at MAC HQ Jennifer Balbier and Nick Gavrelis are the brains behind the collection, inspired by trips to Brazil where the use of natural minerals in make up is much more commonplace. The minerals are pulverised into very small particles and then baked into the marbleised finishes that typify the collection. They were helped in their knowledge of the Brazilian beauty arena by Fabiana Gomes, who grew up in Curitiba and has worked with MAC since they opened their first store in Brazil in 2002. Beauty is super important in Brazil, so the launch of the Semi-Precious Collection clearly sees MAC with one eye on this huge emerging customer base.

MAC semi precious by Lorna Scobie
MAC semi precious by Lorna Scobie.

But what about the really interesting stuff? The ingredients themselves? The finely milled gems which have been chosen for the Semi-Precious range are Bronzite, Black Tourmaline, Gold Pyrite and Lilac Lepidolite – each of which create beautiful jewel-like colours and are also believed to have some interesting properties.

MAC semi precious range collection review 2011

Bronzite, the Stone of Courtesy, is a deep chocolate colour with golden swirls, believed to be energised by the Earth, thus improving metabolism and oxygenation at a micro level (wow, all that from wearing a pretty eye shadow!)

Black Tourmaline is iron rich and known as the Electric Stone because it conducts a gentle current – for this reason it’s believed to neutralise negative energies and enhance happiness in the wearer.

Gold Pyrite is very bright and metallic as anyone will know who has marvelled at Fool’s Gold. It’s the Fire Stone, sparking when struck against iron and steel. For this reason it’s associated with stamina and transforming intuition into logic and reasoned action. It also aids concentration and fosters open communication.

Lepidolite is a member of the Mica family. It is the Peace Stone, used to encourage openness and honesty. It is believed to dissipate pain when placed on the body, to relieve allergies and stabilise mood swings. If wearing a pretty lipstick can do this I’ll be damned, but there’s nothing like a bit of folklore to encourage sales.

MAC Semi Precious by Sally Jane Thompson
MAC Semi Precious by Sally Jane Thompson.

Research was done by the MAC team in Canada and the minerals were mined by Solabia International – slogan Between Nature and Technology – then put together to echo the beauty of the Brazilian landscape in their laboratory just outside Milan. Solabia mines on the Mata Atlantica coast of Brazil where the four precious stones are found, following an ethical code of practice laid out by DNPM the Brazilian National Department of Mineral Production. I am assured that the process does not use large quantities of water.

MAC semi precious range collection review 2011

The Semi-Precious stones are used in Mineralize eye shadow, blush and lipstick, though the new range also features body lotions as well as mascara and foundation. With names like Pure Magnificence, Natural Flare, and Geo Pink the geographical nature of the ingredients is always at the fore. I’ve been wearing the Golden Gaze on my eyes over the past few days and the way that the gold particles are swirled together with black gives a multi-layered finish that is very different to your average eye shadow: think sultry charcoal grey with a glinting hint of gold once on the eyelid – a subtle look that is totally suitable for daytime. I’ve also tried the Feeling Flush blusher, which is a perky pink colour on the skin. Be warned though, I needed very little of this to achieve a strong effect.

Mac Semi Precious by Claire Kearns
Mac Semi Precious by Claire Kearns.

MAC Semi-Precious was launched in the US & UK last week so it should be available at make-up counters near you very soon….

Categories ,Antonia Parker, ,Beauty, ,Between Nature and Technology, ,Black Tourmaline, ,Blue Sheen, ,Blusher, ,brazil, ,Brazilian National Department of Mineral Production, ,Bronzite, ,canada, ,Claire Kearns, ,Coast, ,Curitiba, ,DNPM, ,Electric Stone, ,eye shadow, ,Fabiana Gomes, ,Feeling Flush, ,Fire Stone, ,Folklore, ,Fool’s Gold, ,Geo Pink, ,Gold Pyrite, ,Golden Gaze, ,Hint of Sapphire, ,Honesty, ,HQ, ,Intuition, ,Jennifer Balbier, ,Jewel, ,Lepidolite, ,Lilac Lepidolite, ,Lipstick, ,Logic, ,Lorna Scobie, ,Mac, ,Make-up, ,Mata Atlantica, ,Metabolism, ,Mica, ,Milan, ,Mineralize, ,Minerals, ,mining, ,Natural Flare, ,Negativity, ,Neutralise, ,Nick Gavrelis, ,Peace Stone, ,Pure Magnificence, ,Sally Jane Thompson, ,Semi-Precious, ,Solabia International, ,Stamina, ,Stone of Courtesy, ,Warmth of Coral

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Catwalk Review: Basso & Brooke

Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week - by Joana Faria

Basso & Brooke S/S 2012 illustrated by Joana Faria

There is no queuing for me at the Basso & Brooke show – I’m late, store having been seduced by ice-cream and pretty dresses at the Orla Kiely presentation and everyone has already been seated. So it’s fine luck that I found an unoccupied seat in the front row. As is usual at London Fashion Week, salve a celeb or two will make an entrance just before the show is about to commence and a riot of photographers will swoon in and blind bystanders with their imperious flashes.

Ana Araujo at Basso & Brooke  SS 12 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ana Araujo

Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Being naturally curious I want to know who it is as well. Later on I’ll discover the celebrity to be Ana Araujo, ed but meanwhile I snap a photo of her, tell she looks gorgeous when she smiles and rush back to my seat to await the start of the show.

Basso & Brooke  by Gilly Rochester LFW SS 2012

Basso & Brooke S/S 2012 Illustrated by Gilly Rochester

An energetic beat silences the audience and the fantastic elliptical light display comes alive and dances to the rhythm building a dynamic ambience and giving the illusion of stars sparkling in the night sky. I’m hoping there aren’t any epileptics in the audience when the lights stand still and serene, welcoming an explosion of colour and print onto the stark white stage.

LFW SS12 Basso and Brooke by Kristina Vasiljeva

Basso & Brooke S/S 2012 illustrated by Kristina Vasiljeva

Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week - by Joana Faria

Basso & Brook S/S 2012 illustrated by Joana Faria

Colour and print have become synonymous with the Basso & Brooke brand and both designers are very much aware of this. So wanting to break away from the prison that had become symmetry and precision, Bruno Basso and Chris Brooke journeyed to bring digital print alive again, by disrupting the status quo of digital print. What transpired was a ‘Tropical Constructivism’.

Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Vibrant tropical images married with angular lines and sharp structures cloak the fluid cloth of each softly, but perfectly structured garment; short dresses, shirt dresses, maxi dresses and what appears to be a ‘salwar kameez-esque’ dress and skinny trouser outfit. One of my favourites is a shorts and jacket ensemble accessorised with cool retro shades. The hair is styled or rather, anti-styled in a straggly ‘I have better things to do’ pony tail, a distinct contrast to the conspicuous collection. I also love the accessorising (by Borba) of a few key outfits with what appears to be a cluster of karabiners and key-ring clips. Brilliant.

Basso & Brooke by Gilly Rochester LFW SS 2012

Basso & Brooke S/S 2012 illustrated by Gilly Rochester

If putting clashing colours and prints together to form gorgeous wearable clothes wasn’t hard enough, Basso & Brooke challenged themselves with the idea of evolving patterns, so that each new piece in the collection bore the seed of the next. Impressive much? I think so.

Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

All photography by Akeela Bhattay

As the show comes to an end and the design duo take to the catwalk, there is reverberating applause. Thoroughly deserved, I think.

You can watch the show here.

Categories ,Akeela Bhattay, ,Ana Araujo, ,Basso & Brooke, ,Borba, ,british fashion council, ,Bruno Basso, ,catwalk show, ,Chris Brooke, ,designer, ,Digital Print, ,fashion, ,GHD, ,Gilly Rochester, ,Goodley PR, ,Images, ,Joana Faria, ,Kristina Vasiljeva, ,lfw, ,London Fashion Week, ,Mac, ,Multi-print, ,Multicolour, ,Photographs, ,Pioneers, ,Report, ,review, ,S/S 2012, ,soundtrack, ,spring, ,SS 12, ,summer, ,The Old Sorting Office, ,Tropical Constructivism

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Catwalk Review: Basso & Brooke

Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week - by Joana Faria

Basso & Brooke S/S 2012 illustrated by Joana Faria

There is no queuing for me at the Basso & Brooke show – I’m late, store having been seduced by ice-cream and pretty dresses at the Orla Kiely presentation and everyone has already been seated. So it’s fine luck that I found an unoccupied seat in the front row. As is usual at London Fashion Week, salve a celeb or two will make an entrance just before the show is about to commence and a riot of photographers will swoon in and blind bystanders with their imperious flashes.

Ana Araujo at Basso & Brooke  SS 12 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Ana Araujo

Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Being naturally curious I want to know who it is as well. Later on I’ll discover the celebrity to be Ana Araujo, ed but meanwhile I snap a photo of her, tell she looks gorgeous when she smiles and rush back to my seat to await the start of the show.

Basso & Brooke  by Gilly Rochester LFW SS 2012

Basso & Brooke S/S 2012 Illustrated by Gilly Rochester

An energetic beat silences the audience and the fantastic elliptical light display comes alive and dances to the rhythm building a dynamic ambience and giving the illusion of stars sparkling in the night sky. I’m hoping there aren’t any epileptics in the audience when the lights stand still and serene, welcoming an explosion of colour and print onto the stark white stage.

LFW SS12 Basso and Brooke by Kristina Vasiljeva

Basso & Brooke S/S 2012 illustrated by Kristina Vasiljeva

Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week - by Joana Faria

Basso & Brook S/S 2012 illustrated by Joana Faria

Colour and print have become synonymous with the Basso & Brooke brand and both designers are very much aware of this. So wanting to break away from the prison that had become symmetry and precision, Bruno Basso and Chris Brooke journeyed to bring digital print alive again, by disrupting the status quo of digital print. What transpired was a ‘Tropical Constructivism’.

Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Vibrant tropical images married with angular lines and sharp structures cloak the fluid cloth of each softly, but perfectly structured garment; short dresses, shirt dresses, maxi dresses and what appears to be a ‘salwar kameez-esque’ dress and skinny trouser outfit. One of my favourites is a shorts and jacket ensemble accessorised with cool retro shades. The hair is styled or rather, anti-styled in a straggly ‘I have better things to do’ pony tail, a distinct contrast to the conspicuous collection. I also love the accessorising (by Borba) of a few key outfits with what appears to be a cluster of karabiners and key-ring clips. Brilliant.

Basso & Brooke by Gilly Rochester LFW SS 2012

Basso & Brooke S/S 2012 illustrated by Gilly Rochester

If putting clashing colours and prints together to form gorgeous wearable clothes wasn’t hard enough, Basso & Brooke challenged themselves with the idea of evolving patterns, so that each new piece in the collection bore the seed of the next. Impressive much? I think so.

Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay
Basso & Brooke SS 2012 London Fashion Week by Akeela Bhattay

All photography by Akeela Bhattay

As the show comes to an end and the design duo take to the catwalk, there is reverberating applause. Thoroughly deserved, I think.

You can watch the show here.

Categories ,Akeela Bhattay, ,Ana Araujo, ,Basso & Brooke, ,Borba, ,british fashion council, ,Bruno Basso, ,catwalk show, ,Chris Brooke, ,designer, ,Digital Print, ,fashion, ,GHD, ,Gilly Rochester, ,Goodley PR, ,Images, ,Joana Faria, ,Kristina Vasiljeva, ,lfw, ,London Fashion Week, ,Mac, ,Multi-print, ,Multicolour, ,Photographs, ,Pioneers, ,Report, ,review, ,S/S 2012, ,soundtrack, ,spring, ,SS 12, ,summer, ,The Old Sorting Office, ,Tropical Constructivism

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Amelia’s Magazine | My Habbit is Not a Hobbit – How to Calculate Your Carbon Footprint


All photography by Maria Domican

I was nervous upon arriving at Vintage at Goodwood… Nervous because I had called in sick to work, sickness nervous because I had been hearing bad press about the event and mainly nervous because I had no idea what to expect.

I have to admit, cialis 40mg no matter how fashionable, arty and eco driven a festival is, a major emphasis has always been on being drunk and having a great, if somewhat crazy time… I couldn’t imagine myself getting wasted on ‘classic cocktails’ or ‘gin and tonics’, parading around campsites in my beloved vintage treasures and sleeping through bands in a dusty heap at Goodwood. Apparently that was exactly the crowd that organiser Wayne Hemingway was eager to discourage, not wanting those “out on the lash that leave a load of empty tins at their ripped tent”.

Goodwood was billed as ‘the first of what will be an annual music and fashion led celebration of creative British cool’ ‘The new festival of Britain’. But what was it? A vintage Fashion Fair? An exhibition? Or a festival? Featuring music, art, fashion, film and design I was puzzled as to how it would all come together.

None the less I was excited… I had packed a few of my 2nd favourite dresses (the dirt was still a worry!) far too many hats (and yes I carried them in a vintage hat box) and even two matching vintage parasols, for my friend and I to parade around with; in short, more than I would usually take on a week long holiday.

Upon arrival we were greeted by a red carpet and the famous British High Street. Made up like a spaghetti western, all wooden fronted shops, I felt like I had wandered onto a film set. The high street catered for the big brands: John Lewis, The Body Shop and Dr. Martins all had large stores with all the facilities of any other high street shop. It also was the home for the vintage cinema, a traditional British pub and even an Indian take away! The draw of the festival to many though – the vintage stalls – were down the two side streets in tents. These were much more bazaar-like in style; small cramped lines of tents exploding with clothes, accessories, and when it rained (which it did a lot) crammed in people unable to move.


Vintage shopping at Goodwood.

Bands such as The Faces, Buzzcocks, Heaven 17 and the Noisettes entertained the crowds but it was the fashion that was the main draw of the festival. Workshops taught sewing and knitting while Hardy Amies and Pearl and Daisy Lowe were among those with runway shows.


The Noisettes on the main stage.


Pearl and Daisy Lowe at their runway show.

Divided into eras, the festival celebrated five decades of British cool, with each area having a different ‘curator’ (supposed experts in that field).


The 1970s and 1980s zone curated by Greg Wilson featured a warehouse with interactive graffiti wall and a roller disco.

Also in the 1970s era was Eddie Miller’s Soul Casino nightclub – replicating a mid 70s ballroom and reminiscent of many a bad wedding reception, complete with 1970s swirly carpet, sprung dance floor, pool tables and low lighting – it was here that Wayne Hemingway performed his own DJ set on the Sunday.


Wayne Hemingway

The emphasis of the festival was definitely the 1940s and 1950s, however, with the majority of outfits being so themed and with one of the highlights being leading percussionist, producer and 1940s enthusiast Snowboy’s Tanqueray sponsored ‘Torch Club’: a 1940’s style supper club which served 3 course meals over the weekend, with waiter service and a full orchestra playing while you eat. Behind the club forties allotments and land girls held guess-the-weight-of-the-pumpkin competitions and the guys from The Chap held an Olympian event with cucumber sandwich tossing and tug-o-moustache.


Cucumber sandwich tossing at The Chap Olympiad


Moustache tug-o-war

Still in its first year, the festival organisers have room for improvement before next year’s. The website promised ‘an unparalleled attention to design and organisational detail’ which is a little optimistic considering the press pass debacle. Still, this was upheld in areas such as the attention to period detail in all shops and stages and that all events were first come first served and not fully booked up beforehand.
It’s possible the press pass debacle was a result of the PR company giving all 150 staff free weekend and camping tickets… of which apparently only 8 were used!

One stall holder also complained that they felt the festival had been miss-sold as they thought that the vintage stalls were going to be on the main high street not crammed into the side tents.

Whilst a lot of events over the weekend such as dance classes and the cinema were free, the main grumbles were still about the commercial emphasis of the festival, Bonham’s high profile auction, chain stores and a huge emphasis on shopping and spending money left a lot of people disgruntled, but apparently still willing to spend; Oxfam reportedly made £1000 in the first half hour of opening! Lily Allen‘s no-show to launch ‘Lucy in Disguise’ was probably a blessing in disguise as it prevented the focus of the weekend from being celebrity.

The ‘Glamping’ was on all accounts also seen to be a big disappointment. Situated at the bottom of the hill in the woods this area quickly became a muddy bog with the torrential rain and at £1200 for a tent with an airbed was seen as a complete rip off by many who didn’t even have hot showers. The same was true of the pods which had to move some people to tents due to complaints about size and not being able to stand up.


Glamorous campers.

For the regular campers, though, there were no problems. Many vintage tents, bunting strewn camps and campervans were on a chalk based slope which quickly drained and dressing rooms with full length mirrors and power points enabled everyone to dress up.


Dressing up rooms. Photography by Madeleine Lowry

…And dress up they did! Whilst the day trippers favoured fancy dress over true vintage and stuck to the high street, the weekend crowd were the highlight of the festival. A huge ego-boosting weekend, everyone went out of their way to compliment each other on their outfits and a general blitz spirit coupled with the friendly campsite and interactive nature of events ensured that everyone was quick to make new friends.

Overall the weekend offered an overwhelming range of activities to take part in or witness, and hopefully with the kinks ironed out before next year, things can only get better for Goodwood.



Fashion at Goodwood.


Shopping locally, abortion by Kayleigh Bluck

I have to honestly admit that I don’t really THINK about sustainability in my everyday life. I even recycle without thinking because it is such a natural process to me. You don’t consciously think about why you drink tea from a cup and not from a bowl or why you pee into the toilet and not into the basin.  
I think you’re only truly sustainable when it’s a part of your way of life, just like a diet is pointless unless you actually change your lifestyle and habits. In keeping with this, I came across a test with a perfectly relevant name: “My Habbit“. You can check out your own carbon footprint and you might be surprised at how easy it is to change really small habits. 

Whilst taking the test it visualises your carbon footprint in the form of a strange and creepy semi-alien computer-generated human body. Proportionally distorting a human’s body parts in order to visualise your disproportionate use, you work your way through the different stages of sustainability. For instance, if you use a lot of electricity, you head starts to look more and more like a skeleton. The more meat you eat, the fatter your belly gets. Electricity and gas expands your hands, travel expands your feet until it looks like an almost bursting balloon. Mine looked pretty normal at the end, but it still had suggestions for me to better myself. But how did I even come across this test? 

“So, a guy came into the office today to borrow some of our paper, which was recycled and said ‘So are you trying to save the world or summin?’ (sic) to which I wanted to start replying but by the time I said ‘Um..’ he said ‘Then stop driving!’ I obviously replied ‘I don’t drive’ and he said ‘Oh’ and walked off. What’s the dude hassling me for?” 
This is a snippet of a conversation I had during dinner today, where it transpired that me being a vegetarian and not having a car actually makes me “pretty green” according to a test my partner had taken during the workshop he held at the “Sustainable Futures” exhibition at the Design Museum. I was immediately intrigued. This may have been mainly due to the fact that I was fairly certain I was going to come out of the other end of the tunnel with a result to be proud of (aka something to show off about).  


Shopping locally for fabric, illustrated by Naomi Law

I already knew some of the reasons that were going to be to my advantage. I work from home, which means that in average, I use the underground only once a week for meetings or events in town. I have only travelled by plane once in the past year (last November, in fact), which is highly unusual and mainly down to the fact that work has happily consumed all my time. Either way, I knew it was going to make me look good in the test. I walk to the shops, and buy most of my food and fabric (I am a fashion designer) in the local market where things are mainly locally sourced. I’m very lazy when it comes to anything that is essential to life such as sleep, eating and washing. That’s only of advantage because I own a lot of clothes, which means I very rarely have to actually wash any of them. My washing machine is extremely underused.  

Furthermore, since we’re on the subject of big white goods, I don’t own a dishwasher or tumble dryer or any such machinery. I recycle everything from paper snippets to plastic to glass to fabric. I would say “tins” but I don’t really use them. As I mentioned before, most my food moves directly from the bowl of vegetables of the farmer’s table into my Longchamp shopping bag into my vegetable drawer. Another point that I knew was going to help me look good in this test was the fact that I’m a vegetarian. Apparently, that makes a difference although I’m still not quite sure why. Surely any food needs to be transported, worked on? Do feel free to enlighten me if you know. 

Returning to the subject of technical items, I don’t watch TV. I have a TV set for watching a DVD every now and then, but I usually prefer to work, and the TV is of course unplugged when I don’t use it because otherwise it makes a very annoying humming noise when it’s on standby. I unplug my printers, sewing machines, hair straighteners etc when I’m not using them.

People who don’t live with me would never believe it, but I’d rather look like a couch potato wearing three jackets (I’m at home, right?) than turn on the heating unnecessarily. In fact, the heating is completely switched off until the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius for more than a week, which doesn’t make me very popular with my housemates.  

We were given some free sustainable light bulbs when we last switched gas and electricity companies, which we use throughout the house and half of the fluorescent light bulbs we have in our office have burned out and we are too lazy to replace them.


Shopping for clothes, illustrated by Zarina Liew

This one is a big deal, but not a topic that gave me any extra credit during the test. About 80% of my wardrobe (including my shoes) is either second hand, vintage or passed on in some form or another through eBay, TK Maxx, in the form of presents from family and friends, inherited pieces, charity shops etc. This does not, however, mean that I don’t indulge my fashion sense, as a quick peek into the style section of my website will confirm. 

I don’t listen to the radio, I don’t have a CD player or stereo because I have all my music on my Mac and iPhone – who knew being this non-nostalgic about music, could turn into a blessing? 

We have an agreement with our landlord who sends round a gardener every two months. Officially, any carbon footprint they amass during their work is technically not mine, so I am not counting it. The grass is yellow from the few days of “heat” this lame English summer had, but I don’t really see that as my responsibility and as far as I can tell, I don’t think the gardeners ever water the grass – they simply cut it even shorter and dryer and pick up the leaves. 

Some of the questions in the test were difficult. For instance, I had to look up which type of light bulbs we actually use. They cleverly adjust the optimum “habit” you could have at the end and suggest ways in which you can better yourself, even if your carbon emission is as low as one could realistically imagine. 

However, there were aspects of importance that were not quite taken into consideration. A big issue, which could tip someone’s carbon print (especially among us fashionistas and fashionistos, eh?)  is our shopping and consumption habits beyond mere primary necessity (food). Do you buy online? Are your purchases shipped or flown from overseas or do you make sure buy locally? Do you shop in chain supermarkets or local markets? How much stuff do you own? Do you buy from Primark or second hand? Do you buy per trend and season or do you invest in pieces that you have worn for decades? Do you tend to consume actual objects such as electric equipment, decorative items, clothing or something altogether different? 


Using recycled paper, illustrated by Emma Block, using recycled paper!

There are also questions relating to your profession that are not taken into consideration at all. For instance, the test asks you whether you use a printer at home, but not whether you use a printer at work. How much paper do you use and waste, knowing you’re not paying for it? I’ll forgive them for not asking office-related questions, though, as this could get very detailed and complex. But what about mobile phones? No sign of their impact.

Having an iPhone, which I use for work, means I charge my phone up a lot more often than, say, someone who works in a shop and turns theirs off for most of the day. As anybody who owns an iPhone knows, as much as we love them – the battery of the iPhone is abysmal. It needs charging ALL the time. Surely the test should be asking about the different phones one has, the same way they asked about what type of TV I own? On the other hand, I charge my iPhone via my laptop – this means less electricity is used. You can see, the questions can be quite endless, but an essential acknowledgement of such basics would have improved the test. 
Many of my friends and colleagues are writers or need to write in some form or another. When you do your writing, do you do it online or offline? That sounds like it would make no difference, but it does. Here’s a good illustrating example, which has astounded quite a lot of people when I’ve mentioned it. 


Energy in the kitchen, illustrated by Gemma Randall

One of the questions in the questionnaire is how often you boil the kettle. Did you know that every time you do a search on google it uses as much electricity and power from the mighty google servers as it does to boil a full kettle? A question in the test, if I have had any say, should have been “Do you look up the tiniest question on google rather than trying to think that second longer in case you remember?” Do you maybe have a real life dictionary (oh wonder and glory), which can help you just as much? Yes, one should consider the production cost of making said book, but for the sake of the argument, let’s assume it’s a vintage book, which still holds perfectly updated descriptions of most words we know. If it doesn’t, you can STILL use Google, Wikipedia or an online dictionary. But not doing so would immediately reduce your carbon footprint more than you think… 

I am a great believer in the fact that until something is accepted as normal, it has not really been overcome. Until it is, the obstacle of integration is not complete. I feel this is the way with sustainability. I grew up with it, so it was quite strange for me to see what fuss people made about being sustainable – it was new to me. Once people embrace it as part of their lives, it will be a lot easier. You hear campaigns telling you to “be aware” and “do your part” as if most of these acts weren’t perfectly logical. I disagree. Sure, some people just don’t admit to perfectly basic knowledge being obvious, and need those hints and tips, and none of us are perfect and continue to be educated. However, the obsession of making recycling something to be conscious about is not going to help. Only once it’s truly and easily integrated into our lives in a manner that is natural to participate in will sustainability really be standard practice.

Categories ,Apple, ,campaigns, ,Changing Habbits, ,Clothing, ,Design Museum, ,Dictionary, ,earth, ,ebay, ,Electricity, ,Emma Block, ,Fabrics, ,fashion, ,Food, ,Gas, ,Gemma Randall, ,Google, ,Human Body, ,iPhone, ,Kayeligh Bluck, ,Light bulbs, ,Longchamp, ,Mac, ,Markets, ,My Habbit, ,Naomi Law, ,paper, ,Primark, ,Printing, ,Second-hand, ,sustainability, ,Sustainable Futures, ,TK Maxx, ,vintage, ,White goods, ,Wikipedia, ,Zarina Liew

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Amelia’s Magazine | Interview: The Hundred In The Hands

As I arrive at The Hundred in the Hands soundcheck, for sale the floor of the upstairs room of the Old Blue Last is littered with an array of guitars, information pills wires, and keyboards with cases of all shapes and sizes to match. On stage the Brooklyn two-piece seem to glide between their stations, calmly, almost nonchalantly, warming their instruments up and coiling endless lengths of cable around the compact space the Old Blue has to offer. Eleanor, Jason and the beat master extraordinaire (Mr Apple Mac laptop) whir into action for another slot on their summer tour, their appearance in London followed by a much anticipated debut at Latitude and Festival de-Affaire in the Netherlands. Even within the empty room my feet can’t help tapping as The Hundred in the Hands fine tune their breed of electro; sugar spun candy pop sprinkles on a thick, fuzzy electric whirlwind that you can’t help but get lost in.

Once the soundcheck is put to bed, Eleanor and Jason are kind enough to spare me a few minutes for a chat in the luxurious surroundings the Old Blue Last does so well- peeling wallpaper, endless sirens and multipacks of Hula Hoops. But the charming pair seem unfazed by the rush around them, the capital is now like a ‘second home’ to them as this venture brings their UK visits up to four, although Eleanor insists they ‘still don’t know how to get around, nearly getting run over because the cars are going the wrong way.’

As a pair they seem in sync, each listens to the other, feeds off their ideas, never overrunning each other’s sentences. For creators of such urgent and, at times, epic music, there is a calm patience about each of them. Their musical exploration references many shades of genres through history, although their own musical education began with the good old bastion of classic American music: the radio. For Jason it was the ‘golden oldies on the stations, Motown and stuff like that’, a passion shared by Eleanor: ‘Because it was on the radio it wasn’t really a conscious choice, it just drifted into your life. And I listened to a lot of brooding, moody music in the 90’s, of course, as everyone should. But I think when I came back around to pop music and pop forms I realised I did have that in my background, but it was all the golden oldies, the girl group sounds.’

The pop power behind The Hundred in the Hands is undeniable, intentional even, with the band working with four different producers including pop mastermind Richard X and LCD Soundsystem’s aural curator, Eric Broucek. ‘We chose songs that would compliment producers’, Jason explains. ‘They didn’t necessarily shape the idea of the song, but just help it go the extra distance. To tap into the knowledge and ability like that is amazing.’ For Eleanor the assistance of four varying second opinions ‘adds a rush of energy and settle the arguments,’ although few producers would complain about taking on the task of laying Eleanor’s sweet, crystal cut voice over the record. She might be the only girl of the group, but an unmistakable femininity resonates within the melodies, a throwback to their radio listening days.

Their upcoming album is due for release in September and was even originally conceived to be a hip hop album, a nod to their mutual dedication to decades of the genre (although after 1992 it does get a bit wobbly), but the follow up to the pair’s EP ‘Dressed in Dresden’ flirts more readily with a sense of catchy hooks and itchy basslines. With 70 to 80% of the tracks home recorded at some point along the way, The Hundred in the Hands are undoubtedly keeping a lo-fi arthouse panache to their sound, but a heavy touring schedule means the chance to write new songs has got to find its own time amongst the shows.

This is where Mr Apple Mac apparently comes in most handy, not only for spending hours geeking out on dub and hip hop inspirations, but for moulding the biology of The Hundred in the Hands’s sounds. ‘Beats seem to grow; we write as we’re recording and we can’t play it until we record it so it’s always changing. After shows, in between shows, on the way to the next show, we can get the laptop open and work. The difficulty is trying to make the beats feel like they’re happening now.’ Jason’s passion for melding the experience of pre-recording and live performance is evident and is something the pair have perfected for their touring schedule. The frequent appearance of Steve Job’s silvery, shiny plug-in babies on stages across the world has exploded in the past few years, but whilst DJs have benefited endlessly from software programmes that turn the bedroom into the studio, some bands have failed to translate this process into a tangible and exciting live performance. No doubt familiar with this problem, Eleanor explains how the band have moderated their sound: ‘We’ve designed things so with the year of touring we’ve got coming up we have eight different channels of sound coming from the back track, so we’re trying to make it adaptable to a more full on spectrum. Not dance music, but something full on.’

What better place to test the theory than the jammed Old Blue Last. By 10pm the air seems sticky with all the bodies and plastic cups of beer. Jason said he hoped people would ‘get sweaty’ tonight and I do not think he will be disappointed. Opener Tom Tom tip taps through your head and feet but pop the vibration intricacies that make the record such a stunner are somewhat lost in the air. As the songs are reeled out the energy onstage fizzles between Jason’s stopstart juts and stomps on the guitar, and Eleanor’s vocal emerge from her diminutive frame and dishevelled, parted hair. A panicked elegance emerges from each song and new material marks itself out from the darker edge of Dressed in Dresden. A disco electro undercurrent darts from the speakers and limbs start to get looser amongst the audience. The final word must, of course, come from the Man of the Masses, the Voice of the People, or the Man in Front of Me Using Blackberry… “the band is fuckin amazin!”


All photographs by Sabrina Morrison

Categories ,Apple Mac, ,brooklyn, ,electro, ,gig, ,Green Man, ,interview, ,latitude, ,lcd soundsystem, ,Mac, ,new wave, ,Richard X, ,The Hundred In The Hands, ,The Old Blue Last, ,THITH

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